Tue Cent Twosday – Why Peacocks or, Jurassic Birds and How Not To Be Eaten at the Zoo
When one sees a peafowl, or commonly “peacock,” one is struck by their beauty – particularly when they display their lovely tail feathers. It turns out that they shed their tail feathers annually during a molt, and this is how peacock feathers are made available for purchase – the animals aren’t killed for them.(1)
On a recent trip this month to the Brookfield Zoo, my husband’s attention was caught by two peafowl wandering around right on the pedestrian road. He crouched down, mesmerized, working to catch the closest one on camera.
“Uh, honey? Your nine o’clock,” I warned.
He came right out from between the bushes, under the low hanging branch, right at my husband as he crouched there. Michael even waited a moment or two, figuring he’d stop or go around.
Nope.
It’s at this point we realized there were about ten peafowl converging on the spot where we’d stopped to watch.
My husband said, “Clever girl,” reminding us both of the movie Jurassic Park. Remember, when the velociraptors attack from the side?
I couldn’t quite catch all of them in the same shot, but they milled around us as though waiting to catch us with our guards down.
Right. We’ve seen this movie, Mister Peafowl. And thankfully, you’re not as big as a terror bird; and they, thankfully, are extinct.